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The League/Volume 2: Chapter 1
Cam Usually, when I stood in front of Mayor Kaley it was receiving a commendation. She would thank us for our great work, hand us a reward of sorts, and all would be good. But today was not a usual day. Kaley sat at her desk, reading the damage report. I felt weaker than I already was just waiting for her to put down her papers and say something. It would be arrogant to assume she was waiting for me to say something, so I stood in wait for her to finish. “Cameron, I don’t have words to describe how...how…can you tell me again just what happened?” I breathed in lightly and arranged my collar. “One of our men, Pigpen-” Kaley glared at me. Perhaps she was a metahuman as well, because my mouth shut instantly. “Not even remotely what I meant. How the HELL could you let this happen?! I thought your team was professional!” I gaped at her like a moron for what felt like a good minute before I worked up the nerve to answer. “We...we are! We had to save the city fro-” I began before being interrupted yet again. “SAVE THE CITY? SAVE THE CITY?” Kaley laughed a cold, tired laugh. “YOU...You cost us millions of dollars in damages, possibly hundreds of lives, and our embassador, Naruto, is dead. If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you SAVED our city….” “I can’t. We…we failed.” The words broke my heart. We may have saved our friend, but we destroyed hundreds of lives, and all because of his mistake. My mistake. As their elected leader, the onus was on me. Kaley sighed, standing up and rubbing her eyes with her hands. The black bags under her eyes told a story of lack of sleep, and the reddish eyes, a story of tears. She cared about the city and its people as much as I cared about my team. And her. “I...I...Cam. You are my friend, but what happened there last night…” Kaley looked like she wanted to yell again. “I’m cutting funding for the League until all repairs are made.” Inside, I wanted to explain to her all the strange occurrences, and the chain of events that lead to this situation. However, I knew that my excuses would change neither the body count, nor the damage done. I closed my eyes. “Was this decision born of your opinion, or the publics?” Kaley crossed her arms and glared at me. “It shouldn’t matter. I’ve decided to not charge you, even though you are absolutely to blame. And off the record, the answer is both.” She cleared her phlegmy throat. When she brought up charges, I knew what was coming next. “Now…we need to talk about the one who caused this. Pigpen, Red Swine, whatever you call him.” “We’ve...we’ve locked him up, he’s under control, Kaley, trust me.” As I said the words I immediately regretted me. I think she knew it, so she didn’t snap at me as hard as she easily could have. “You’ll have to do better than that. The families of the deceased want his blood-” Her eyes closed for a moment and she lost her balance, but quickly regained her footing. The lack of sleep was finally catching up with her. “So what, are you going to let them have it, Mayor?” I asked. “I don’t bend to the whims of angry mobs with pitchforks,” she started. “But I’m not exactly going to bat for you. I need a guarantee that he - and your team - won’t be running rampant like wild monsters!” “Is that what you think of us?” I asked. “Monsters?” Kaley gasped at her own words. “No that’s not what I meant. I’m just tired. I don’t know what I’m saying. Look…just keep your team under control. Do you think you can do that, Cam?” I half expected a different answer. How she felt about the League and the good we’ve done is indisputable, but I wouldn’t have disagreed that the things The Red Swine did were the workings of a monster. “Yes, yes I can,” I said. For a good while. The words did little to reassure her, and understandably so. I debated whether I wanted to continue and tell her about the threat that I believed was looming, but she didn’t need to know about my theories until they were facts. Instead, I pulled off my Backpack, reached down into it, and pulled out a tablet. “I’m sure this won’t assure you completely, but…” I turned on the screen and an image faded into vision. Pigpen, lying unconscious in four walls and a laser-proofed roof. I handed her the tablet. “This is where we’re keeping him. Soundproof walls, so nobody’s words will affect him. The walls can withstand Caulk’s voice powers for up to an hour. If you want to see firsthand, I can ask him to demonstrate.” Kaley looked at the technology in awe, then shook her head. “No, this is all I needed to see. Cam, I hope you understand that I’m on your side with all this…but you guys have a long way to go in proving yourselves in the public eye again.” I nodded. “I would suggest talking to Officer Juan. You can see if he still wants the force working with the League.” Kaley crossed back to her seat and sat down. I didn’t know the chances of that happening. Though Officer Juan was one of our biggest supporters at a time, The Red Swine had killed several of his own. Kaley was a friend. Juan would be an extremely hard sell. “I will certainly try,” I quietly said. I was completely silent as I left Kaley to her business and went to look for Officer Juan. He would likely be giving a press statement about last night’s fight and the casualties. I waited by the main door instead of stepping outside to the media frenzy right away. I could faintly hear his voice as reporters slinged question after question to him. Soon enough, it would be my turn to walk the gauntlet. After a few minutes, Juan stepped back inside abruptly. He was nearly in tears. He looked up and saw me. I wasn’t sure what to expect. “Oh, hello there, Cam.” Juan said. His reaction both surprised and impressed me, to say the least. “Juan, good to see you…how are you holding up?” I asked. Juan simply sighed. “Cam, my friends died trying to defend the hundreds of people who died last night. I am not holding up well at all.” I didn’t know whether an apology or a reassurance would be remotely what he needed to hear. I started to speak, but Juan stopped me before I could get out a word. “I know this wasn’t entirely on you, Cam. You are good people. Other people don’t see it, but you would never do something like this unprovoked. I just want my men to be remembered…and for the ones responsible to be punished accordingly. Can you tell me you’re taking steps to make that happen?” I narrowed my eyes and placed my hand on Juan’s shoulder. “Yes. I assure you, we will.” I knew Juan was in no mood to deal with this now, but it needed to be asked. “Will...will the police still support the League?” Juan looked at me with a mix of concern and stern realism. “You know I have your back, after what you did for my family. However, giving my men orders to support you is one thing…getting them to follow through is quite another. Your man killed my - their comrades-in-arms.” I nodded. That was more than I would have expected. It must have been tearing Juan apart, splitting his loyalty between his men who’d lost so much, and us who’d taken it from him. It was at this point that I knew Juan was a friend. I shook his hand firmly. “That’s more than I could ask. Thank you, Juan.” I walked towards the door, ready for the hail of questions. “Wait, Cam.” I stopped and turned around. “You said Anarchy is back, same as Ghost said. This doesn’t make any sense. He’s never been a man with a plan, and now he’s assisting in a bank robbery and turning your man into a hulk. What is he planning?” “I don’t know, Juan. Anarchy was never able to do that on his own. Someone had told him what to do and what to say.” At this point, he saw the frustration in my eyes. “You’ll get to the bottom of it. I know you will.” Juan said. With that, he turned and continued walking towards his office. As soon as Juan was out of view, I slammed my fist into the wall. Someone had outsmarted us. Outsmarted me. If I didn’t take that as a personal insult, then I had no integrity. I needed answers. Pigpen would be waking up soon, I imagine. It’s as they say - no rest for the wicked. Trivia *First appearance of Mayor Kaley. Category:The League Category:Issues